It is common for players of various sports, such as soccer and field hockey, to wear shin guards to protect their shins from blows from various sources, such as cleats, balls and sticks. Game rules may, in fact, mandate the wearing of shin guards.
It is also common to participate in such sports with ankle injuries. Support must often be provided to injured ankles to allow them to heal and to prevent further injury. In such cases, it is desirable to support the ankle against inversion and eversion (that is, to restrict inversion and eversion of the ankle), while allowing substantially free dorsiflexion and plantarflexion of the ankle. A common solution is to apply tape or an elastic bandage to the ankle and foot, but such methods often provide inadequate support. Ankle braces generally offer superior support than bandages or tape and are easier to put on and take off than tape. Braces generally interfere with the wearing of shin guards however, and effective participation in sports which require the wearing of shin guards is thus precluded.
A soccer player, for example, may have an ankle injury requiring a brace which will preferably offer both support and protection from blows to the injured ankle. Game rules may require the wearing of shin guards (which is, in any case, highly desirable), and that shin guards and ankle braces be non-metallic and be worn under a sock. The shin guard and ankle brace must not interfere with one another, and the shape and weight of the ankle brace must be such that there is minimal interference with passing, kicking, trapping, dribbling, running, jumping, cutting, and the like.